For most of us, taking a cup of kindness for auld lang syne on New Year’s Eve really meant good riddance to a bummer.

So now that we’ve bid a not-too-fond farewell to what pundits around the globe have dubbed the “decennis horribilis,” here’s a sampling of good things coming up as we begin a new decade.

Pasadena Playhouse execs Sheldon Epps and Stephen Eich are opening their new production of the Lerner and Loewe classic “Camelot” on Friday.

Nine-time Emmy Award-winner David Lee (co-creator of “Frasier” and the Ovation Award-winning Playhouse production of “Can-Can”) directs a cast of eight in the musical that made its debut on Broadway 50 years ago. Based on “The Once and Future King,” T.H. White’s saga of passion and betrayal in King Arthur’s court is the first production of the Playhouse’s 2010 Season. It will run through Feb. 7.

Epps is going to put a no-frills spin on the original production with minimalist staging reminiscent of the long-running Off-Broadway musical, “The Fantasticks.”

“David has a fresh and exciting take on the material that will give the show vitality and a much stronger dramatic focus,” Epps said. “In previous incarnations of `Camelot’ there has always been an emphasis on pageantry, big sets, stunning costumes with lots of armor, ladies in pointy hats, a large chorus of singers and dancers, funny mythical characters, and even a dog.”

Lee said it’s really a tale about the relationship among three human beings – Arthur, Guenevere and Lancelot.

“A couple of years ago, just for fun, I went through the script and eliminated everything that did not contribute directly to telling their story,” he said. “Plus it was shortened enough that I could afford to add back music that is often cut. The heirs to the Lerner and Loewe estates have been very gracious in allowing me to attempt this hybrid. Liza Lerner, Alan’s daughter, has been of particular help to me.”

On Jan. 16, the Pasadena Symphony celebrates the symbiotic relationship between conductor and artist when Maestro Jorge Mester and Pasadena pianist Howard Shelley team up to perform one of the giants of the romantic repertoire, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. The concert, aptly named “From Russia with Love,” marks Shelley’s eighth appearance with the symphony, and will also feature Tchaikovsky’s No. 4.

Mester and Shelley’s friendship has spanned decades. They will share their adventures and stories and discuss the evening’s music during “INSIGHTS,” the Symphony’s pre-concert talk.

On Jan. 14, Shelley will lead a piano Master Class at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music. The class begins at 4 p.m. in Room 200. Space is limited and reservations are required. Contact the Pasadena Conservatory of Music for reservations, 626-683-3355 or e-mail them at music@pasadenaconservatory.org.

Shelley will appear courtesy of the Pasadena Symphony, which presents this free Master Class as a gift to the community.

“A Noise Within,” Glendale’s 19-year-old repertory theater company, is winding up its final season before moving to its new Pasadena home next fall. For the third consecutive year, its popular production of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” opens on Jan. 16 for 10 performances through Jan. 24. A hallmark in the Theatre of the Absurd movement, this work is deemed one of the great plays of the 20th century.

The USC School of Theatre will present its first Engaged Artist Award to actor Robert Redford on Feb. 10 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. The award, which is also named for Redford, has been created to recognize artists who have distinguished themselves not only in their work, but in their commitment to social responsibility and increasing public awareness of global issues. Information: 213-821-4262.

On Feb. 10, Martin Sheen will reprise Frank D. Gilroy’s “The Subject Was Roses,” the Pulitzer Prize/Tony Award-winning play that brought him a Tony Award nomination in 1964.

“The Subject Was Roses” replaces the previously announced “Speed-the-Plow” by David Mamet as the first production in the Mark Taper Forum’s 2010 season at the Los Angeles Music Center. Neil Pepe will direct the drama, which depicts a father, mother and son whose strained family relationship becomes sadly clear when the son returns from the army after World War II.

Sheen portrayed the son in the original Broadway production and he also appeared in the 1968 film version. He will play the father in the Taper production, with Frances Conroy playing the mother and Brian Geraghty playing the son. “Martin and I had been talking for some time about doing `The Subject Was Roses,’ and when it appeared that the timing for the production was perfect for the opening slot in the new Taper season, I was pleased that we could move quickly,” said Ritchie. “Set in 1946, this is a timeless, important play with characters so believable that your heart goes out to them, wishing they could break out of old family patterns. These are people with whom we can all identify. It makes for compelling theatre.”

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